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Welcome to MMO Insider's May 2024 Update!
In this video, we explore the latest MMORPGs that have undergone testing this month and bring you all the details on how these MMOs are looking as they move towards a full release.
Featuring:
@Tarisland_Official
@MonstersMemories
@playwayfinder
@Corepunk
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➞Written Article: https://thetankclub.com/mmo-insider-may-2024/
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0:00
Hello and welcome to MMO Insider, where we delve into the latest MMO RPGs undergoing
0:12
testing each month and bring you all of the juicy details so you can find out just how
0:17
they are doing as they move towards a full release. May has been relatively quiet for testing, that is right up until the very last week
0:26
when all the MMOs we're reviewing decided to conduct their tests all at the same time
0:31
The very first thing we're looking at today is Taris Land and this is going to be releasing
0:35
on June 21st, 2024 and it held its final technical test before launching on that date
0:42
Since the release is imminent, I'll keep this brief as a full review will follow the
0:46
global launch. This session focused on kind of reviewing the changes since the previous tests that
0:51
we've managed to be a part of. Unfortunately, the cutscenes and NPC dialogue remain problematic in Taris Land
0:58
The text does not match the voice overs, the voice lines get cut off by rapid moving text
1:04
and the animations and cutscenes. This should have been resolved by now, but it hasn't been so this is a big factor and
1:10
it really diminishes the story content within the game. On a more positive note, the game does look promising with a heavy PvE focus featuring
1:18
exciting content. The challenge dungeons are kind of really high end end game content alongside the elite raids
1:25
It's really exciting as a tank I'm particularly looking forward to completing that end game
1:29
content and the scene on the end game looks very competitive. I've recently joined a guild, everyone's talking about being the first team to clear all the
1:37
content so it's really really exciting, very competitive, something I'm really looking
1:41
forward to. One thing to keep in mind though is Taris Land has increasingly adopted more mobile friendly
1:47
features like assisted skill casting and auto waypoints, which is slightly concerning
1:52
Despite this, the game appears to be a potential stand out mobile MMORPG
1:58
It does avoid the typical completely auto play mechanics that many mobile MMOs adopt
2:04
Instead it offers progressive content and character development with challenging end game activities requiring active play, which is not really seen very often in those mobile
2:13
MMOs and the fact that this is a PC mainstream MMO that is attached with cross play to mobile
2:20
devices is something that's going to be really interesting to see how that unfolds, especially
2:24
in terms of doing that harder content if you're somebody on PC and you've got people in your
2:27
team who are playing from mobile, it'd be interesting to see how that really works
2:31
While I'm excited to play on PC myself, I have reservations about the game's long term appeal
2:37
A significant concern is the upcoming seasons mode, so they're naming this Season 1, which
2:42
remains kind of unclear what this is. Rumors do suggest that each new season will require starting fresh
2:49
Although systems like this work in games like Fortnite and Diablo, I am hesitant to invest
2:54
in an MMO if my progress is wiped with each season. The impact will depend on how quickly I can reach the end game, so if it takes 30 hours
3:03
or 300 hours, that's going to make a big impact on my long term enjoyment of this game
3:08
and also the amount of new content that they do add with each season
3:12
Overall Tarisland has potential and has been enjoyable during the testing, I've really
3:16
thoroughly enjoyed it. It is free to play, but the presence of pay to win elements is uncertain given the developers
3:22
history with other games. My general excitement for Tarisland is a cautious 3 out of 5
3:29
Next we move onto Monsters and Memories. This is expected to release sometime in early 2026
3:35
I discovered this game at the very last minute, but managed to get about 20-30 minutes of
3:39
playtime, so not very long. This game does boast a vast array of classes, which is a huge plus for me as I love having
3:46
plenty of options. I personally chose to play as an Ogre, I think I also did this last month in another game
3:51
it's something I've not really seen before so I keep going for that Ogre class and because
3:55
they also look like absolute beasts. While the class choices are impressive, the character creation options are quite limited
4:02
although the game is still in early development. During those early minutes of playing I must admit I was kind of underwhelmed
4:09
The features on the UI were massive, but the game screen was small and had a really
4:13
odd size. I soon realised that the auto resolution setting was the issue and adjusting it helped me somewhat
4:20
As a fan of classic and retro style MMORPGs I appreciate the nostalgia they bring, it's
4:25
something I thrive on. However the performance of Monsters and Memories was problematic
4:32
Objects frequently disappeared and reappeared, same with other players, the NPCs, everything
4:37
apart from the structures making the game feel very unstable. Nothing in this game was clear or intuitive, my first task was to deliver a letter that
4:46
I did find in my backpack by accident to the correct NPC listed in the letter
4:51
Without any map or any quest marker I wandered around aimlessly. The signposts that were in the game didn't match the location name in the letter so I
4:58
was looking at the signposts, looking for the same location to point me where I'm supposed
5:03
to go and it really just added to the confusion. Attempting to attack nearby enemies proved futile as they were too strong for a beginner
5:11
and it felt odd to place such strong enemies in a starting area, every time you tried to
5:14
attack them it would say you're too weak to attack them so it was really confusing
5:20
I spent most of my time wandering around without accomplishing anything significant
5:25
My brief experience with Monsters and Memories left much to be desired, given that this was
5:30
an early test and the game is expected to enter early access in 2026 I'll keep an eye
5:36
on it for future testing. This initial impression may not be a fair representation of the final product but it
5:42
made me question if I'd invest time in a game that not only looks retro but feels dated
5:47
for a 2024 MMORPG. My excitement level currently for this one is a 1.5 out of 5
5:55
Moving on to Wayfinder Echoes which is re-releasing on June 11th 2024
6:00
The question is why have I included Wayfinder? Well originally it was planned to be an MMO
6:06
I invested over 200 hours into this game during early access, very much enjoying its fast
6:12
paced dungeon looter mechanics. I made some friends along the way, I had a lot of fun, the games potential was evident
6:19
and I was excited about its future based on the roadmap from the developers
6:24
Fast forward to May 2024 and the publisher has abandoned the project, leaving the developers
6:29
to self publish the game. Wayfinder is now being converted into a single player game with an option to play co-op with
6:37
up to 3 friends with its Echoes update. This shift is disappointing because Wayfinder was genuinely fun, though it lacked long term
6:45
content something that was supposed to be addressed in future updates. The endless loop of grinding to level characters and weapons soon became tedious and I can
6:53
imagine without really having this online play or any future development it's going
6:57
to become even more boring in the long term. In the new version you do have to start from scratch and while some of the UI and menu
7:04
cleanups are noticeable, the game kind of feels a bit fresher, it does still feel like
7:08
the exact same game, just played solo and without any future content updates expected
7:14
or any further progress. For me this transition seems like a last ditch effort to recoup development costs ensuring
7:21
the game isn't a complete waste of time and resources. My excitement level for this game is a 0 out of 5
7:28
And finally for the last one in May we had Corpunk which is expected to release maybe
7:33
sometime in 2025. I have been excited to try Corpunk for a while and thanks to somebody sending me a code I
7:39
finally got the chance to try it out. I do love Corpunk's visual style and heading into the game I encountered several challenges
7:47
from the first quest. There's little to no direction beyond the initial interaction with the quest giving NPC
7:53
So if you don't follow the dialogue closely you can get stuck quickly
7:57
However this does align with the fog of war style gameplay which encourages exploration
8:02
it encourages you to pay attention and look around at what you're doing
8:06
With that first quest I was supposed to find some wood, I didn't know where it was and
8:10
I completely missed it for the first sort of 5-10 minutes of the game as I was kind of running around the forest
8:16
Corpunk's setting is more modern compared to many MMORPGs and it's NPC dialogue is
8:20
both amusing and filled with contemporary slang. During the test session there were some issues, entering certain areas of the map would result
8:28
in a kick notification popping up on the screen though it didn't actually kick you out of
8:32
the game. These glitches along with delays in the test and the early finishing of the test highlight
8:37
the importance of these sessions to iron out problems before the full launch
8:42
Combat in Corpunk is straightforward but slow to develop. Typically you spend most of your time auto attacking with skills on long cooldowns
8:50
As you level up you unlock more abilities, improving the experience. New players might find the game's pace and difficulty surprising as gaining levels is
8:58
a slow process. When you try to fight enemies they'll usually be in groups of 2 and 3 and you're not able
9:03
to kill them with just your auto attacks you end up getting killed by them because you're just not able to do enough damage fast enough
9:09
Upon reaching the first town you're inundated with quests, many of which are challenging
9:14
or lack clear direction or way above your current level. It requires careful listening to every single NPC and dialogue and you also have to figure
9:23
things out independently which makes the process of completing quests fairly time consuming
9:29
I eventually realised while trying to do some of my quests that I needed specific materials
9:34
to progress them because I needed to collect materials which I needed to turn into other
9:37
things which I then needed to make certain items to complete a quest
9:41
After wandering around the map and finding no nodes, running into multiple different enemy types, higher level enemies, getting killed multiple times and figuring out one
9:50
or two of the quests I did discover a small forest area containing the necessary materials
9:56
or should I say the nodes where I had the chance of gaining the materials
10:00
I established a rotation and I collected nodes for hours. The RNG nature of gathering materials was very frustrating but it improved as my gathering
10:10
profession levelled up. And the progression of levelling up your professions is super quick in comparison to your actual levels
10:17
So I think I got to level 120 in gathering alchemy nodes and my level was level 405
10:22
Higher levels increases your chance of finding better items but it's a grind to get there
10:26
so you're going to have to grind out each individual profession so that you can get the materials that you need
10:30
I dread the competition for nodes during the first weeks after launch
10:34
This could cause frustration and toxicity among players which is concerning. The game's difficulty was enjoyable bringing a sense of excitement and danger unlike many
10:46
MMORPGs targeting a casual audience. Core Punk demands attention to your surroundings
10:52
The fog of war mechanic limited view. The higher level enemies chasing you down added to the thrill
10:58
Knowing I could drop hard earned items upon death did heighten the stakes despite the potential
11:03
annoyance if that did happen. Health and mana don't regenerate on their own so you need to stock up on food, gather
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items to make the food and sometimes build a campfire to regenerate
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Eventually you can gain access to passives that help regenerate stats out of combat making
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it a bit easier but you do have to get to level 5 which is a good few hours of working
11:22
through the game. I hope to participate in future tests to see how they address some of the issues from this
11:27
session and improve the beginner experience. Adding more accessible level 2 to 4 quests that don't require rare materials would
11:34
alleviate many of my personal concerns. Despite the testing ending sooner than I hoped I did enjoy the kind of style of Core Punk
11:41
and am looking forward to seeing how it develops. My excitement level for Core Punk would be a 3.5 out of 5
11:49
So upcoming in June there doesn't seem to be much ongoing in terms of MMORPG testing
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however with the release of Taris Land and many popular MMOs rolling out new expansions
11:58
and updates I'll be busy covering all of that. Rest assured we'll keep our eyes peeled for any testing opportunities that we can
12:05
dive into. If you know of any MMOs that are testing in June please let me know in the comments below
12:11
and I will take a look. So that is everything for this video, big thank you to our YouTube members and our Patreon
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subscribers for all your support. Thanks very much for watching and I'll see you next time, bye bye for now
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